Demonstration of blended Sercos III and EtherNet/IP at SPS show

November 3, 2012 - Sercos International (SI) announced that the first demonstration systems that utilize the blended infrastructure approach of Sercos III and EtherNet/IP automation buses will be shown at this year’s SPS show in Nuremberg/Germany (November 27-29, 2012), booth 110, Hall 6. The demo will show various Sercos III and EtherNet/IP devices connected to controller prototypes from Bosch Rexroth and Schneider Electric using a common Ethernet infrastructure on a single cable.

The blended infrastructure approach was announced in April 2012 by ODVA and SI as one of the first practical results of the machinery initiative, in which SI, ODVA and OPC Foundation collaborate.

Because the network infrastructure required for EtherNet/IP and Sercos III includes the physics and data link layers of Ethernet, Sercos telegrams, CIP messages and TCP/IP messages can coexist within a network without requiring additional cables. To keep the cyclical and clocked communication of Sercos III intact, the CIP messages and TCP/IP telegrams are transmitted in the Unified Communication Channel (UCC) which is an integral part of the Sercos transmission method.

“We are convinced that today's great variety of automation technology requires a new conceptual approach to simplify integration of machinery in manufacturing,” said Peter Lutz, Managing Director of Sercos International. “A common network infrastructure enables machine builders and users to reduce the cost and complexity of machine integration while retaining the ability to utilize their preferred product suppliers and automation devices.”

The blended infrastructure approach does not require any modifications to the existing Sercos III and EtherNet/IP specifications, as the respective communication mechanisms have already been integrated in the Sercos III transmission process. Only an implementation guide describing the planning and set-up of such multi-protocol networks is required.

About Sercos International

Sercos International is an association of users and manufacturers that is in charge of technical development, standardization, conformity inspection, certification, and marketing for the Sercos automation bus. Compliance tests ensure that the implementation of Sercos is in accordance with standards and thus allows the combination and integration of devices from different manufacturers. Based in Germany, the organization presently has more than 70 member companies located around the world, and has liaison offices in North America and Asia.

About Sercos

The SErial Realtime COmmunication System, or Sercos, is one of the world’s leading digital interfaces for communication between controls, drives, and decentralized peripheral devices. Sercos has been used in machine engineering for more than 20 years and is implemented in over 3 million real time nodes. With its open, manufacturer-independent architecture based on Ethernet, Sercos III is a universal bus for all automation solutions.

Heads up! On May 22, 2018, we updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to make them clearer and to address some new privacy laws in Europe. If you keep using Automation.com after May 25, 2018, you're letting us know that you're okay with the updates.